


What's Life Without a Little Worry?

by cutiepiehyuck



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: All the others are only mentioned/not important to the plot rip, Alternate Universe - College/University, Dance Major!Ten, Fluff, Kun worries a lot that's it that's the plot, Librarian!Kun, M/M, like...a sentence of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-20
Updated: 2019-03-20
Packaged: 2019-11-26 01:16:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18173927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cutiepiehyuck/pseuds/cutiepiehyuck
Summary: Kun was a notorious worrier. He worried about his grades, about his friends and whether they were eating enough, sleeping enough. He did worry about himself, sometimes, when there was no one else to worry about. Mostly though, he worried for the well being of others, because if there was one word that his friends would use to describe him it would be ‘caring.’





	What's Life Without a Little Worry?

**Author's Note:**

> hello, this is mostly a short college au for my indulgence, bc no one appreciates how soft Kunten are for each other. basically kun worries about ten's wellbeing and thats the plot
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> hhhh my links aren't working but follow me on twt @cupidshyuck

Kun was a notorious worrier. He worried about his grades, about his friends and whether they were eating enough, sleeping enough. He did worry about himself, sometimes, when there was no one else to worry about. Mostly though, he worried for the well being of others, because if there was one word that his friends would use to describe him it would be ‘caring.’ Kun cared with all that he had, which in turn only led him to worry more about his friends, because what if he wasn’t doing enough?

In short, Kun had a lot of love to give and no one really to give it to. Sicheng was done with his shit by now, silently accepted the home cooked meals before retreating back to his dorm and his boyfriend. Renjun and Dejun had both decided a long time ago that they were going to ignore his parental tendencies, and while Yukhei, Yangyang, and Kunhang all loved him, it wasn’t quite the same. He could tell that sometimes he overwhelmed them, and he didn’t know where to go from there. Chenle still dropped by his apartment sometimes, usually dragged Jisung along, but it certainly wasn’t enough to fill the hole in his heart. 

So yeah, maybe Kun was looking for someone new he could worry about, but he certainly wasn’t going to tell Sicheng that. 

And of course, working in the library on campus allowed him to see all types of people. Johnny Seo, who came in every Thursday in search of a new book and maybe that cute med school student, but he never explicitly disclosed that thought to Kun. He was just perceptive. And then there was Mark, who always trudged in way too early and stayed way too late, cooped up with his law books and maybe a few tears. Kun hadn’t quite adopted Mark yet, knew Taeyong well enough to know that he was getting enough worry and care, but he always deposited some tissues and a nice note by Mark when things got tough. 

Donghyuck and Jaemin usually came in on Mondays and Wednesdays, mostly to study and bother Lee Jeno, the nicest boy that Kun ever had the privilege of meeting. Sometimes it was to pester him about biology questions, but mostly it was just to annoy him. Sometimes his friends dropped by, but they didn’t stop by long enough to form the same routine as those he regularly encountered. He knew the library by heart, knew it’s usual residents and had grown accustomed to the familiarity of it all. Which is why when he saw the dancer for the first time, he was caught off guard. 

Kun could tell he was a dance major by the way his clothes always hung off him, sweaty hair plastered to his forehead, and the graceful way he walked. That, and he asked Sicheng about him as soon as he had spotted the new person walking into his library. (Although, it wasn’t  _ really  _ his, but he practically lived there anyways. And Seulgi never seemed to show up to work). 

“Oh the new dance major? Yeah, I think he’s a Thai transfer student, super nice and really hardworking, but he hasn’t really talked to any of us. Taeyong is trying to take him under his wing. I think his name is like a number or something? Ten maybe?” Kun nodded along to Sicheng’s spiel while he read the same lines in his book over and over. Ten, a strange name but well, he supposed it could fit his looks. He was intrigued, which only meant trouble. 

“Why are you so curious Kun? You never ask about the new people on campus.”

“Just saw him in the library is all. You know that most people go to the main campus library, so it was strange to see someone new in my library.”

“Yeah but you’re not usually this curious. Why don’t you just talk to him?” Sicheng finally looked up from his notes to meet Kun’s eyes. Kun was biting his lip, thinking his way through it. Why didn’t he just talk to him? Surely he wouldn’t be put off by the librarian just approaching him. Well, maybe he would. Kun didn’t know.

“Are you scared?” Kun spluttered, slapping Sicheng on the shoulder. 

“I’m not scared, shut up! Just, I don’t know, he seemed like he wanted to be left alone.” Sicheng hummed, going back to his notes with a knowing look in his eyes. 

It took a whole week before the dancer returned, and Kun realized he probably came to study on Saturdays. He mentally took down that note, adding him to the list of maybe regulars, who each had a specific day they visited but not necessarily as consistently as Johnny or Mark. 

Kun watched as the dancer dumped his stuff down on one of the tables, his tired form slumping in the chair. Kun felt the worry grow inside of him, seeing someone as run down as him. No one deserved that fate, and Kun knew deep down that he probably had someone else who cared for him, but what if he  _ didn’t.  _ No one deserved to go through something as trying as college alone. 

Kun observed the dancer, watching him slowly unpack his study materials before going to work, highlighting and taking down notes non-stop for almost 2 hours. Kun would’ve been impressed if he wasn’t so worried about the dancer’s wellbeing. 

After the 2 hours mark, Kun watched as the dancer’s eyes started drooping, his head moving closer and closer to the table before he finally slumped over, asleep. Kun glanced at the clock, which blinked 11:30 at him in bright red, before he sighed to himself. He grabbed the pillow he always kept under his desk for late nights and moved silently over to the dancer, sliding the pillow under his head in place of his notes. He figured that sleeping for at least another hour couldn’t hurt. 

At 12:30, right before Kun was ready to start kicking people out (mostly Mark, jeez Taeyong needed to keep a more watchful eye on the boy), and he walked over to the dancer. He gently shook him awake, making sure to grab the pillow and move silently back to the desk before the dancer could realize the librarian had disturbed him. He woke up slowly, blinking his eyes and yawning before checking the time. Kun could almost see his heartbeat spike as he realized the time and started packing his stuff up frantically. Kun nodded to himself as the dancer ran out of the library, making a mental note to bring something warm to eat next time. He looked like he hadn’t had a good meal in months. 

The next Saturday, Kun walked into work later than usual, his final lecture of the day keeping him behind because his professor was an ass who didn’t respect students and their time. He spotted Seulgi at the main desk, chewing her gum and reading yet another Shakespeare play. He felt bad for theater majors and the hardships they endured, because he had read enough Shakespeare in his lifetime to make him never want to touch another play again. Seulgi spotted him from behind her book and nodded to him silently before moving to their back room to gather her stuff. Kun dropped his stuff behind the desk, letting out a small sigh before working through the stack of returned books sitting neatly on the desk. 

A few hours later, Kun looked up as he heard the door open with a bang. The dancer stood at the door, smiling sheepishly and apologizing to the others in his vicinity. He was soaked, the obvious rainstorm outside being the cause. Kun felt a pang of worry hit his chest, and before he knew it, he was up and grabbing a towel from the back room. He dropped it on the dancer’s usual desk and scurried back to his desk before he could notice. And sitting innocently in his bag was a steaming thermos full of soup. 

Kun waited until the telltale signs of sleep overtook the dancer before he walked over and placed the thermos down next to him, along with pushing the pillow gently under his head. He had decided to leave a note this time, one of encouragement that he hoped would help the poor stranger get through his studying. He looked exhausted, worn out, and frankly, Kun was worried. But that was nothing new, he was always worried. Just this time, it was for someone he didn’t know.

Weeks passed and without fail, each Saturday the dancer (Ten, Kun had finally confirmed with Sicheng, was his name) returned, fell asleep, and awoke to a warm thermos full of something home cooked. Sometimes there was a little note with cute doodles drawn over it, sometimes it was just a quote or a few words of encouragement. Kun never let it get further than that, mostly because he didn’t want to fall for Ten, didn’t want it to get to the point where his worry stemmed from something like a crush rather than concern over someone he didn’t know. 

Things changed after a few months, when one Saturday, Kun came in to see Ten already sitting there. He had headphones in, but Kun could see that his focus was waning as he frequently looked up to check the desk where Seulgi was currently sitting. Kun panicked a little bit, because he didn’t want Ten to come and talk to him, to ask him about who was leaving the thermos’ full of food and letting him sleep there each night because he knew that as soon as he looked into Ten’s eyes, he wouldn’t be able to stop his mouth from spilling it all out. 

So Kun maybe overreacted. He might have walked right back out the front doors, texting Seulgi that he was sick today (even though she clearly saw him walking in) and sadly couldn’t come in for work. He didn’t get very far though, because as soon as he lifted his head from his phone to walk back towards his apartment, he heard someone yell. 

“Hey! Uh, you! In the gray hoodie!” Kun didn’t recognize the voice but he could guess who it was, and his hands were shaking as he turned around. Ten was running towards him, his hair bouncing up and down in such a way that Kun couldn’t help but think he looked like an adorable puppy. But those were crush thoughts, because Ten wasn’t cute, and Kun definitely didn’t have a crush on some guy he didn’t even  _ know.  _

Ten caught up with him, since Kun had literally frozen in shock once he saw Ten running after him, and now the panic was rising up in his throat. What was he supposed to say?

“Hey, whew okay let me catch my breath,” Ten took a few deep breaths before barreling on, “Johnny told me that you’re this super nice librarian who always takes care of the people that visit and I was wondering if you’ve been leaving me food and letting me sleep? Not that I mind, of course, I just want to thank you and maybe, uh, take you out for coffee? Not like a date, unless you want it to be, I just-”

“Ten, you’re rambling,” Kun interrupted, scanning Ten’s face to see if he was telling the truth. 

“Right, sorry! Hey wait, it’s not fair that you know my name and I don’t know yours! And you never answered my question.”

“Uh, I’m Kun, Qian Kun. And yeah, I’ve been leaving the food.” Kun felt his face heat in embarrassment at the admission.

“I kind of, worry a lot about people and when you first came into the library I saw how thin and tired you were and, well, I just wanted to help. I hope I didn’t overstep any boundaries?” Ten shook his head, his face breaking out in a smile as Kun spoke. Kun just thought it was beautiful, and maybe he felt a smile break out on his lips too. 

“It’s so nice! I’ve never had anyone do that for me! And since I’m new here, I’ve just been overworking myself a little bit and forgetting to eat more than I should. But you cook really well.” Kun smiled wide at that, glad that his worry helped someone who genuinely wanted it. 

“So, do you want to go grab a coffee?” Ten asked, and Kun nodded his head. 

“Great, uh, what are you doing right now?”

“Well, officially I’m home sick and can’t go in to work, but unofficially I’m going on a coffee date with you,” Kun said, and couldn’t stop the embarrassed smile that broke out across his face as he realized what he said. A date, his mind just kept repeating that over and over.

Ten couldn’t stop himself from smiling wider, jumping a little in place before running back to the library to grab his stuff. Kun waited patiently, and saw the flurry of blue as Ten ran back out to meet him. Maybe his worrying wasn’t all that bad, if it got a cute boy to notice him and take him out for a date. 

 


End file.
